Title

Authors

Document Type

Article

Abstract

Working with metadata often means moving it between various formats. One problematic move to make is from a spreadsheet to an XML file. This paper will describe the basics of using an XSD to map a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet to XML.

Moving metadata can be a messy process, especially when the data is older. Data often comes out of legacy systems as csv files, tab-delimited files, or Excel files. Moving data from these formats into XML can prove to be a challenge. I have also found it beneficial to do some initial data cleaning in spreadsheet form. This allows for the use of Microsoft Excel tools such as sorting, filtering, and vertical lookups to identify potential problems. Having metadata in a spreadsheet also allows for the use of other metadata tools, such as Open Refine and EMET.

This paper will describe the basics of using XSD to map data from an Excel spreadsheet to an XML file. It will cover setting up Excel for XML mapping and creating XSDs that map elements and attributes.